In underwater well installations, a template or guide means base typically supports a plurality of vertical guide posts having guidelines extending therefrom to the surface. These guidelines are used to accurately lower equipment to the template or base, which usually carries a wellhead. Sometimes this lowering operation goes awry and the equipment being lowered can bend or break one of the guide posts. It thus becomes necessary to replace the damaged guide post, preferably remotely from the water surface. This entails releasing the damaged guide post, retrieving it to the surface and installing a new one.
While prior art devices are known in the subsea field for remotely replacing damaged subsea equipment, there is a continuing need to provide a quick, easy and reliable system for removing a damaged guide post by itself and replacing it. Examples of prior work in this field and related work are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,443,455 to Bown; 3,163,220 to Haeber er al.; 3,186,745 to Lyles; 3,321,015 to Word; 3,553,821 to Postlewaite; 3,603,386 to Talley; 3,678,996 to Herd; 3,946,805 to Peterman; and 4,120,362 and 4,194,857 to Chateau et al.